The legacy of a beloved volunteer

Minnie Price dedicated 58 years of her life volunteering at the Sharp Memorial Hospital gift shop. She was the longest-serving volunteer at Sharp HealthCare until she retired at 98 in 2014.

“Minnie was appropriately nicknamed ‘The Legend,’ and indeed a legend she is,” says Dan Gross, former executive vice president and chief operating officer of Sharp HealthCare. “She has left an indelible mark on Sharp Memorial Hospital, countless colleagues, employees, physicians, patients and family members.”

In recognition of her volunteer service, the gift shop at Sharp Memorial Hospital was renamed “Minnie’s Gift Shop” at a special ceremony in November — a way to keep Minnie’s legacy connected with Sharp forever.

“I believe through the generosity of Price Philanthropies and this dedication, she will be remembered by future generations,” says Trisha Khaleghi, senior vice president and market chief officer for Sharp HealthCare Metropolitan Hospitals, on behalf of Gross during the ceremony. “After all, it is only through understanding our history that we make sense of the world around us and know how we got here today. Our gift shops and Minnie are our history.”

A warm and memorable presence

Gross remembers the first time he met Minnie at the gift shop. It was 1979, and Dan was a 23-year-old nurse.

At the time, the gift shop was where the staff would purchase chips, candy bars, occasion cards and an affordable birthday gift. Of course, by then, Minnie had already been volunteering at Sharp for 23 years.

“I immediately was drawn to Minnie,” Gross says. “She was strong, confident, honest, and ready to engage in conversation and provide advice — all while being warm, caring, humble and empathetic.”

Minnie was born in 1916 in Spokane, Washington, and grew up in Mile City, Montana. In 1933, she visited relatives in San Diego, where she met Henry Price, her future husband, to whom she was married for 45 years.

She started volunteering in 1956, just a year after Sharp Memorial opened. She would fondly talk about Henry, their daughter, Rona Farnum, their two grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

“To this day,” Gross says with a smile, “I can still vividly hear her unique voice and how I was greeted upon entering the gift shop. She would say, ‘Oh my goodness, look at who’s here! Well, Mr. Gross, what brings you in?’ Then our conversation was off and running.”

Minnie would question whether the prices of products in the gift shop were too high or whether some products were inappropriate for the shop because she believed they wouldn’t sell.

“She was always sensitive and committed to what people could afford, what they needed most and what they wanted to ensure the gift shop was successful,” Gross says. “She was indeed a gift shop lioness.”

Minnie totaled 40,368 volunteer hours, and Gross remembers that almost all those hours came from weekend shifts — “typically the most difficult shifts to cover,” he says.

She once said, “You can feel lousy, but you go in and meet people and help them. It’s what keeps you well. It’s what keeps you young.”

Remembering Minnie

Minnie’s decades of volunteer service ended when she was 98. Ever sharp and full of personality, she lived to be 104, passing away in 2020.

“She was an amazing lady,” says Rona. “She didn't eat out; she didn't vacation. She just lived this very simple life, and it may be the key to her longevity. Her simplicity and dedication made her happy, and it gave her a real purpose in life.”

Price Philanthropies Foundation recently awarded $7 million in grants toward behavioral health initiatives at Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital and Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, the largest combined behavioral health-related grant in Sharp’s history. The funding was given in recognition of Sharp HealthCare’s commitment to ensuring comprehensive mental health services in the community and in honor of Minnie.

Dedicating Minnie’s name to the gift shop at Sharp Memorial is a small appreciation for her decades of kindness and service, Gross says. “There’s no more fitting dedication and naming of the gift shop here than this being for Minnie Price, a name that represents appreciation, loyalty, commitment, value and care for others,” he says.

Get the latest health and wellness news, trends and patient stories from Sharp Health News; and subscribe to our weekly newsletter by clicking the "Sign up" link below.